White House Denies Visa to Iran Envoy

Officials from the White House have said it will not be issuing a visa to the selection by Iran to be the United Nations envoy.

Very rarely has the U.S. denied a visa for an envoy for the U.N., but Jay Carney the spokesman for the White House says that it is the decision of the Obama administration regarding Hamid Aboutalebi the proposed U.N. envoy from Iran.

Carney said the White House had already informed both Iran and the United Nations that they would not be issuing Mr. Aboutalebi a visa.

The U.S. is against the decision made by Iran to send Mr. Aboutalebi to the headquarters of the U.N., due to his involvement in 1979 storming of the Embassy for the U.S. in Tehran, where 52 hostages from the U.S. were held by militants for 444 days.

Congress in the U.S. passed legislation that directs the President the right to deny admission to any country’s representation to the U.S., who was engaged previously in terrorism, espionage or poses a threat to national security interests in the U.S. The legislation is headed to President Obama’s desk for his signing into law.

Carney would not say if President Obama was going to sign the legislation, but he said the intent of the legislation is agreed to by the president.

Aboutalebi is not wanted in the U.S. for his alleged involvement in the storming of the U.S. Embassy. He denied his involvement in the takeover of the embassy and subsequent holding of hostages. He said he played a little role in assisting and translating with the negotiations.

On Friday, U.S. officials said they do believe that their decision of denying the Iranian envoy in obtaining a visa, would not affect the upcoming nuclear negotiations.

In a Friday statement, the mission to the U.N. for Iran called the decision by the U.S. regrettable, saying it is against international law and the rights that sovereign states have to designate who they want for their representatives to the UN.